If you’re an Aussie, there’s a very good chance you know someone who has been on a Blue Lagoon Cruise in Fiji and loved it.

It’s been a favourite with honeymooners for more than 70 years and while The Thirsty Travellers are not the marrying kind, we’ve had our eye on the itinerary for a few years.

Our friend Emily sailed around the Yasawa Islands with Blue Lagoon when she was a teenager and was eager to return, so we finally booked a week-long getaway in June.

While some things have changed in the 40 years since Emily’s first cruise with Blue Lagoon—such as the more luxurious surrounds of the MV. Yasawa Princess II—the wonderful Fijian crew and joyful mix of natural beauty and cultural experiences have stayed the same.

Blue Lagoon has also added a complimentary pre or post-cruise visit to Malamala Beach Club to its itineraries. Located on its own tiny island, surrounded by crystal-clear waters, Malamala Beach Club features beachside cabanas, a resort-style infinity edge pool and gorgeous views.

We commenced our seven-day experience with a 30-minute ferry ride from Port Denarau Marina to Malamala. We booked two cabanas on the island, which provided a relaxing haven from the busy main area near the jetty. It was a wonderful way to begin the trip, reading books and ordering mocktails and light bites from our roving waiter.

We also enjoyed snorkelling around the main jetty among the tropical fish and little clusters of colourful coral. We even spotted an octopus snuggled under a rock with its tentacle extended across the sand.

In the mid-afternoon we were transferred to the MV. Yasawa Princess II, which cruised to a tiny, sandy island called South Sea Cay for selfies at sunset.

Then it was back to the ship for a four-course Captain’s dinner, which we delightedly attended barefoot.

Early the next morning we were transported to an outer reef to swim with reef sharks. The moment we dipped our snorkelling masks in the water, we spotted dozens of sharks swishing past and below us. The water was stunningly clear and the coral was magnificent.

In the afternoon we visited Soso village on Naviti Island. An elder gave us a tour of the school and church, then we shopped at a shell market set up by the local women. We loved meeting the village’s children, with some passengers taking along gifts of stationery or bubble blowing party favours as gifts for them.

That night we were treated to a traditional Indian Thali banquet aboard the ship, complete with a gorgeous array of saris for passengers to wear. For those in the mood to party, a Bollywood-themed celebration was held on the main deck after dessert.

The next morning, passengers had the opportunity to attend a church service in Soso or simply laze around reading books and drinking in the tropical views.

We chose the latter, then rallied for a snorkelling trip in the afternoon, which was gorgeous, with a huge variety of coral and fish, including clusters of clownfish darting in and out of anemones.

We woke on day four of our Blue Lagoon cruise at spectacular Wayalailai Beach, with a mountain backdrop reminiscent of a lush Hawaiian island. After breakfast we went for snorkelling trip at the nearby reef, before the anchor was raised and we sailed to the Sacred Islands.

The Sacred Islands are revered because they are deeply tied to local creation legends and are believed to be the birthplace of Fijian culture. According to ancient myths, the legendary canoe Kaunitoni—which carried the first Fijian ancestors and their gods to the islands—first landed in this beautiful archipelago.

The islands looked stunningly beautiful from the deck, surrounded by sapphire waters with vivid blue skies above. Reef sharks circled the ship in the crystal clear ocean and we jostled for the best photo of them.

After lunch, we climbed aboard a tender that took us to a sunny beach on Navadra Island. We enjoyed a quick swim and stroll, then returned to the boat to rinse the salt and sand away before our second Captain’s dinner.

A sensational sunset greeted us when we climbed the stairs to the rear deck, casting a soft glow over the craggy islands as we sailed past. It’s fascinating to think the island in the photo above was once an active volcano, with its cauldron-like caldera still clearly visible from the sea.

Day five of our cruise was spent at Blue Lagoon Beach. THE Blue Lagoon Beach that served as a location for the 1980 film The Blue Lagoon. It was picture-postcard beautiful and we settled into banana lounges and hammocks to read our books for a few hours, interspersed with beach walks and paddling on kayaks.

Mid-morning we snorkelled out to a patch of coral swarming with fish all colours of the rainbow. As we held out tiny pieces of bread, hundreds of them surrounded us, nibbling at our fingers. It felt magical, like we’d dived into a giant tropical aquarium.

Lunch was a delicious barbecue on the beach, then it was back to our banana lounges to read and nap. A mid-afternoon beach walk was followed by an opportunity to watch our dinner being prepared – a lovo over hot rocks.

Marinated meat was encased in platted palm fronds and placed onto banana tree stalks over the rocks, then covered with palm fronds before male passengers shovelled sand on top and the feast was left to cook for three hours.

Sunset drinks were held on the gorgeous beach, followed by a kava ceremony. Then we watched the lovo being uncovered before we feasted on its delicious contents.

After dinner, local villagers danced and sang for us, presented passengers with flower leis then arranged a shell market on the sand.

The MV. Yasawa Princess II anchored overnight at Blue Lagoon Beach and we ate a lazy breakfast on the back deck as we gazed at the beautiful vista, before hiking across the island to Lo’s Tea House, renowned for being the world’s most remote donut shop.

The friendly owner served us lemon leaf tea and fresh donuts with chocolate sauce, which we enjoyed at rustic tables beside the beach.

A tender boat took us back to the ship and we set sail for Sawa-I-Lau Caves, another famous location from Blue Lagoon.

According to local legend, a young chief hid his lover in the ancient limestone caves, after her family threatened to marry her off to a rival chief. Every day, he would swim into the secret haven with food until the couple escaped to another island together, where they lived happily ever after.

The first cavern featured magnificent, soaring limestone walls with light filtering through a hole in the ceiling. The braver passengers also entered a dark, secondary cavern that can only be accessed via an underwater tunnel.

Sadly, our evening visit to the local village of Nabukeru for a seafood dinner was cancelled due to rain, but the villagers brought the food to us instead! Our feast included fish cooked in coconut milk, stuffed crab, roasted taro and creamed local spinach.

Our last day aboard the Yasawa Princess was so memorable and wonderful. The sky was vivid blue, the ocean was aquamarine and the activities organised by the crew were fantastic.

In the morning we visited Yasawa High School, where the guitar-strumming deputy principal greeted us on the beach while a group of his students sang alongside him.

The students then took us on a tour of the school and we popped into a year 12 maths lesson before a group of teens gave a performance in one of the classrooms, culminating in a conga line!

It was inspiring to talk to the kids about their ambitions, which ranged from joining the army to becoming nurses, marine engineers and lawyers. Some students walk for an hour and a half each day to get to school, others board on the grounds during the week because their families live on other islands. 

Then we set sail for Drawaqa Island, which is surrounded by a marine reserve, renowned for its spectacular snorkelling. From May to October each year, there is also the chance to swim with manta rays in a nearby channel.

Sadly there were no mantas to be found during our afternoon visit, so we went to an outer reef for a spectacular snorkelling trip instead, filled with coral in every colour of the rainbow. We drifted with the current for around 45 minutes, gazing at schools of pretty fish and endless types of coral. Magical!

Later, a group of passengers went line fishing while others attended an information session hosted by a marine biologist from Drawaqa Marine Conservation Trust, focused on the local reefs and efforts to protect them.

The photo above is from Drawaqa Marine Conservation Trust’s website, visit it here to learn about their work.

Afterwards, we wandered to the back deck to chat to the head bartender Leslie, who is very passionate about his mixology, with a focus on farm-to-table ingredients, local spirits and sustainable straws. He made us a delicious cocktails with muddled lemon, coriander and local Blue Lagoon Gin.

Then it was time for our last dinner of the cruise, seated at two long tables chatting to our new-found friends.

We were sad to wake the next morning to our last few hours aboard the ship before disembarking at Denarau Wharf and making our way to the airport.

Such a wonderful trip. Ten out of 10 from The Thirsty Travellers.

Learn more about Blue Lagoon Cruises here.